’Tis a cursed thing, after all, that such a woman as this should be treated as she has been treated.  Hadst thou been a king, and done as thou hast done by such a meritorious innocent, I believe, in my heart, it would have been adjudged to be a national sin, and the sword, the pestilence, or famine, must have atoned for it!—­But as thou art a private man, thou wilt certainly meet with thy punishment, (besides what thou mayest expect from the justice of the country, and the vengeance of her friends,) as she will her reward, hereafter.

It must be so, if there be really such a thing as future remuneration; as now I am more and more convinced there must:—­Else, what a hard fate is her’s, whose punishment, to all appearance, has so much exceeded her fault?  And, as to thine, how can temporary burnings, wert thou by some accident to be consumed in thy bed, expiate for thy abominable vileness to her, in breach of all obligations moral and divine?

I was resolved to lose no time in having every thing which belonged to the lady at the cursed woman’s sent her.  Accordingly, I took coach to Smith’s, and procured the lady, (to whom I sent up my compliments, and inquiries how she bore her removal,) ill as she sent down word she was, to give proper direction to Mrs. Smith:  whom I took with me to Sinclair’s:  and who saw every thing looked out, and put into the trunks and boxes they were first brought in, and carried away in two coaches.

Had I not been there, Sally and Polly would each of them have taken to herself something of the poor lady’s spoils.  This they declared:  and I had some difficulty to get from Sally a fine Brussels-lace head, which she had the confidence to say she would wear for Miss Harlowe’s sake.  Nor should either I or Mrs. Smith have known she had got it, had she not been in search of the ruffles belonging to it.

My resentment on this occasion, and the conversation which Mrs. Smith and I had, (in which I not only expatiated on the merits of the lady, but expressed my concern for her sufferings; though I left her room to suppose her married, yet without averring it,) gave me high credit with the good woman:  so that we are perfectly well acquainted already:  by which means I shall be enabled to give you accounts from time to time of all that passes; and which I will be very industrious to do, provided I may depend upon the solemn promises I have given the lady, in your name, as well as in my own, that she shall be free from all personal molestation from you.  And thus shall I have it in my power to return in kind your writing favours; and preserve my short-hand besides:  which, till this correspondence was opened, I had pretty much neglected.

I ordered the abandoned women to make out your account.  They answered, That they would do it with a vengeance.  Indeed they breathe nothing but vengeance.  For now, they say, you will assuredly marry; and your example will be followed by all your friends and companions—­as the old one says, to the utter ruin of her poor house.